Match Scorecard

The JCT600 Bradford League Under-21 side won the inaugural Colonel Bill Young Trophy challenge match against the visiting Western District Cricket Union team from Scotland at East Bierley today by 98 runs.

The 40-overs a side match was an interesting contest with the greater depth and experience of the Bradford League side proving to be the deciding factor.

The young Scottish team certainly posed problems for their rivals, particularly early on when opening bowlers Scott Mcelnea and Bilal Chaudhry extracted movement from the pitch with the new ball.

Indeed Bradford looked in trouble as they were reduced to 33-3 when skipper Joe Greaves, who reached 1,000 runs for the season for Farsley yesterday, holed out for a duck.

Undercliffe's Zarak Khan then led a recovery with some elegant drives in an innings of 39.

He shared a fourth-wicket stand of 56 with Edward Walmsley of Pudsey Congs before both fell in quick succession to Ryan Morrow who took 3-42.

Bowling Old Lane's Mubtada Akhtar hit a brisk 33 as Bradford tried to up the tempo but his innings came to an unlucky conclusion when Gomersal's Jack Seddon hit a straight drive which was deflected onto the stumps by the bowler with non-striker Akhtar out of his ground.

At 159-7 it looked as if Bradford would do well to reach 200, but the eighth-wicket pair of Gomersal's Seddon and Richie Lamb (Pudsey Congs) had other ideas.

They went for their shots and took the game away from the visitors with an impressive, unbroken partnership of 112.

Seddon was the first to reach his 50 off 38 balls with nine fours, but Lamb got their in less balls as he reached his half century from just 27 with three sixes and six fours.

Lamb finished unbeaten on 61 while Seddon was 57 not out as the JCT600 Bradford Lleague finished with an impressive score of 271-7 - a total that didn't seem possible until Seddon and Lamb seized the initiative.

The Western District Cricket Union lost and early wicket in reply but then hit back as their second-wicket pair of Michael English and Danial Chaudhry played impressively.

They mixed sound defence with some fine attacking strokes whenever the quick bowlers strayed in length or line. The two 16-year-olds looked to be putting their side into a challenging position until both fell in quick succession.

Chaudhry unwisely chose to try and loft off spinner Walmsley out of the ground and was caught at long on by Gareth Phillips for 38. When English perished soon after to a catch by wicketkeeper Seddon of Lamb, the Western District Cricket Union lost momentum.

The combination of Walmsley's tight off spin at one end and the skidding medium pace of Woodlands' Scott Richardson at the other proved to be a vital ingredient in Bradford's ulitmate success.

Richardson finished with 4-31 and Walmsley 3-28 as the visitors subsided to173 all out.